Riverside County Protest Ban

Not so fast Supervisor Stone… The ordinance has been delayed thanks to the embarassment brought about by the L.A. Times story. Here’s the followup from the Times:

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors today temporarily suspended an ordinance it passed last week to limit protests outside a large Church of Scientology compound near Hemet.

Protesters show up about once a month outside Golden Era Productions, home to 500 Scientologists, on Gilman Springs Road. In an incident last week, protesters were swarmed by sheriff’s deputies trying to enforce the ordinance. After a vigorous debate among supervisors, the ordinance was suspended today.

So, they hope a month from now people will have forgotten. Think again.

Tuesday

I wish I had been able to attend these meetings. Watching last week’s proceedings made my blood boil. I want to share it with you.

Supervisor Jeff Stone has allowed himself to be used by Scientology to shut down all protests at Gold near Hemet.

The speakers all did a fine job but the board passed the ban. Several on the board wanted to be assured that people could still protest at Gold. “Yes, yes,” they were told. However, in the past week some protesters tested the waters and had sheriff’s deputies come to answer Scientology’s frightened 911 calls.

Luckily, the protesters brought along a reporter from the L.A. Times who witnessed Scientology’s attempt to stop free speech.

Soon after demonstrators arrived, four Riverside County sheriff’s cruisers pulled up. Deputies spilled out and demanded identification. They asked for the driver’s license of a reporter covering the event and tried to question him.

“This happens every time we come out,” Berry said. “Meanwhile real crime is going on elsewhere.”

Sgt. Joseph Nardone asked the demonstrators if they were protesting individuals or the church. He said he had received 911 calls about the rally from inside the compound.

“We are not here to stop any right to free speech,” Nardone said.

Sheriff’s officials, aware of recent incidents at the compound, said members often call 911 about demonstrators.

“We prefer to respond with more rather than less people,” said Lt. Patty Knudson of the sheriff’s Hemet station, which handles the area. “Sometimes Golden Era will contract with us for extra patrols and we assign two deputies for that. They have probably done that four or five times over the past year.”

As deputies questioned protesters, church officials gathered just inside the gate. They were clearly unhappy.

Fraser got on the phone to the Riverside County counsel’s office to see if the demonstrators could be pushed farther down the road.

No answer was immediately forthcoming. The county counsel was unavailable for comment Friday.

“We want to get them away from this whole sector,” Fraser said, looking at the three middle-aged demonstrators. “Everyone has the right to protest, but we don’t want them endangering our staff.”

Informed about the incident, Supervisor Wilson expressed concern.

“The church assured us that they could protest outside the main gate. We have not prohibited that,” he said. “If they start restricting locations and start applying this ordinance to mean you can’t protest Scientology at all, then we will have to revisit it.”

This week, more people spoke out in Riverside addressing the events in this article. I hope the video is made available soon.

Jeff Stone

Jeff Stone should be ashamed of the actions he’s taken at Scientology’s behest. Stone is right. People should be allowed to join any church of their choice. But when Catholic priests sexually abuse children, the people have a right to protest outside that church. When Mormon’s fund an anti-gay measure, people have the right to protest outside the temple. When Scientology commits fraud and abuse, people have the right to protest.

Watch this video from December of Jeff Stone forwarding Scientology’s DA material about Anonymous. It’s shameful. He shows some disturbing images and language from the chans and accuses all Anonymous of being racist hate mongers.

I’m not defending any of those images or words but I know the net has a subculture of people who like to shock others to watch the reaction they get. At work, the infamous 2 Girls, 1 Cup video spread like wildfire last year. I never watched it. But you can’t make a blanket statement that everyone who watched it and spread it was an evil, sick pornographer. Yet that is exactly the type of message Jeff Stone wants you to believe about Anonymous.

11 Comments on “Riverside County Protest Ban”

““The church assured us that they could protest outside the main gate. We have not prohibited that,” he said.”

I don’t understand that. What’s the point of going through all the trouble pushing through this ordinance when they still keep a provision that would allow them to protest outside the gate – where they always protested before the ordinance?

Are you sure Mr. Stone isn’t a Scientologist himself? I mean, whoelse but a Scientologist could spread these lies as a public official without finding out the truth, when this bullshit is clearly Scientology propaganda.

Listen, it doesn’t matter who you are, or what you believe, you are gauranteed the right to protest under the Constitution. That gaurantee was not put in place to protect the ideas and peoples that we agree with, but the ones that we don’t. Now I am not saying that this represents anonymous as a whole, because of course it doesn’t, but even if it did, it would be irrelavant. Once again, Scientology is trying to deflect attention from themselves by trying to discredit their opposition. So please, unbiased observers, ask yourself the real question: Why can’t Scientologists who fervently believe in their “church” let their values and beliefs stand for themselves rather than try to discredit those that disagree?

Okay I get it when a post is made the date is posted. But what about the date the news as made? I’m going crazy here trying to find articals on the exact date the new was made. Why can’t bloggers give a date. I get December. Well, what date in December are you blogging my mind about? If I see something happen I say it happeneed on such and such date. Not just December. This Jerk Stone should be questioned by Congress for his local shastas. He’s a fraud. Why doesn’t he show all the crimes comitted by Scientology? Yet he takes the mic and starts on Anons? Where is the Justice in the country. I’m beyond being beside myself. These people need to be called to testify in our congress. It’s gone beyond safe. Scientology is a cult that needs to be taxed and DM needs to be put behind bars for his life.

Just thought I would ad a link to Jeff Stone’s contact page. In the event you would like to exercise your constitutional right to free speech. Go ahead, give it a try. Ask why he would take the mic and defend Scientology using false accuasions against Anonymous while leaving Scientologies crimes to lay benieth his putrid political feet. Let’s find out what your made of in your tiny political circle. http://www.supjeffstone.org/ It’s time to start pickiting those in our government that don’t want us to have free speech. Where is his office? Where does he speak? Anon has questions. One of them being, why is our government supporting and proping up this so called religion that is a business? Where are our leaders? Why are they you so afraid to speak the obvious? That is, Scientology is a cult operating under a business framework to make profit and is protected by our (the people’s) government as a religion that we do not believe to be a religion? How is this possible? It has no God. It has nothing resembling a religion? Stop it now!. It’ maddness to let this go on in our society. They are criminals and should be treated as such under law!. Why are you as our leaders affraid to tackle this subject? By turning your back on this blatant illigall activity you should be called to congress and explain why you support such an activity that kills and holds people in captivity. Remarkable! Blind! Fools!
Anon for Peaceful representation through the leaders that won our vote to represent us and peaceful removal of the leaders that don’t represent the vote that called them to office. Call the banks before you Congress but leave a false church to steal taxpayers money by calling itself Scientology. What a lie. My God, What a lie we are living!